MP: Iran ready to reopen UK embassy in Tehran

The head of the Britain-Iran parliamentary friendship group in Iran says the Islamic Republic is ready for the reopening of embassies in Tehran and London, Press TV reported.

Abbasali Mansouri Arani, who is a member ofthe National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Majlis, made the remarks in an interview with IRNA on Saturday.

"In our view, there is no problem in reopening of the British Embassy in Tehran and we are ready to reopen it," Mansouri Arani said.

The MP said he held a meeting with British non-resident chargés d'affaires in Tehran Ajay Sharma at the parliament.

Iran and Britain agreed in October 2013 to appoint non-resident chargés d'affaires as a first step toward reopening their respective embassies.

The development followed a September 2013 meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and British Foreign Secretary William Hague in New York, during which they discussed ways to improve Tehran-London ties based on mutual respect.

On November 19, 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron also held a phone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in the first such call between a UK premier and an Iranian president in more than a decade, and discussed, among other issues, the resumption of bilateral relations with the Iranian chief executive.

On November 27, 2011, Iranian lawmakers voted by a large majority to downgrade diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom, in response to Britain's decision to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran over the allegation that Iran was pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Two days after the decision by Iran's Majlis, hundreds of Iranian students staged a protest outside the British Embassy in Tehran and pulled down the UK flag.

On November 30 of the same year, London cut off its ties with Tehran, withdrew its diplomatic staff from Iran and the Iranian Embassy in London was closed.